Smile of God

It was a rainy miserable day- cold and dark and wet. Yet something always brings a tinge of light to a dreary landscape. I called my old friend Comer who had been dreadfully sick. His entire Nursing Home was under quarantine with a flu so virulent that nearly every resident had it. I had talked with Comer two days ago and he had told me he was very bad off- very weak and hemorrhaging from all the bowel attacks over the past two weeks.
"Good grief, Comer, will they put you in the hospital?"
"If I am not better by tomorrow they will," he said, "They are watching me."
"You know, when I was nauseous last week, I had pineapple juice. It is supposed to be really good for nausea. It helped me. Would you like me to bring you some?"
"I love pineapple juice," he said, " I would be most obliged."
"I have a big can of it right here. Do you have a can opener?"
"I'm sure I can get one from the front office."
"Good, I'll leave it at the front desk for you tomorrow. I won't come see you since your hall is still filled with sick people. But maybe next week you will be all better and we can all go out."
So I called the front desk, made sure they had a can opener, and then finished proofing the final copy of my new book. It was the second proof I had reviewed, so had, as far as I could find, no errors. I contacted the publishers and told them to go ahead. The book, God Drives a Tow Truck, should be up at Amazon in a day or two. It will be at extended sites, like Barnes and Nobles.com within a few weeks.
"I may as well send this proof to Comer. It is a book of miracles and it sounds like he needs one," I thought, so I put it in the bag with the pineapple juice.

Yesterday, I drove the juice and book to the Nursing Home. I noticed the quarantine sign was off the door.
"This is for Comer," I told the receptionist,"I see the building is no longer quarantined."
"The sign just came down," she said.
"You have a can opener he can borrow, correct?"
"Yes," she said, "I will bring this to him right away."

Later that day, I got a call from Comer. He sounded like his old self, his voice strong again, and with inflection, like he wanted to live.
"I didn't know you wrote another book!" he exclaimed.
"Yes," I said, "I am working on a third as well."
"Well I am already a third of the way through. It is very fine writing. I don't know anyone who writes like you do."
"Oh Comer, thank you! You sound great, by the way. How do you feel?"
"I feel so much better!" he said.
"Did you have the pineapple juice?"
"Sure did! My that was delicious."
"Good, they got you a can opener?"
"No, I opened it myself."
I paused. I knew he didn't have a can opener as he had already mentioned that.
"How did you open it?"
"With my little hammer."
I burst into laughter. The vision of a 93 year old man pounding on the top of a large tin can to smash it open filled my brain.
"Did you have a nail or something?"
"No, I pounded the screwdriver and poked two holes."
"You must be feeling a lot better," I said.
"I am! So I'm drinking my pineapple juice and reading your book."
"Sounds like a nice way to spend a rainy day."
"But is this the book you were telling me about...I thought you told me about another book."
"No, this is the one. It is a book about miracles."
"That, it surely is," he said.
"So the hemorrhaging has stopped?"
"Yes it has."

I learned this morning that my sister, Holly, and her Science Olympiad team of one third the size of a normal team had won the "Spirit Award" at a Chicago competition. And her own son placed first in his event. I know she had taken on coaching this group despite the fact that she did not have any particular skill or love of science. She did it because if she didn't, they wouldn't have a team. She stepped in where she saw a need. How lovely to see blessings flow from such selflessness.

I thought about what is the most important thing, if we could choose only one, that we ought to be teaching our children. Holly's story captivated me so much because I think she is managing to instill in her children and those around her that the most important thing we can do is love God by loving others, and sometimes to do so sacrificially. Most of us won't earn any spirit award, at least not here on earth. But blessings flow when we love others, and troubles seem less troubling. Grey skies seem tinged with color. We can almost see the smile of God.

Romans 12:10
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another

-Everything is possible with God